Pakistan has reported the fourth polio case in one month, with the confirmation of poliovirus in a 13-month-old child.
The victim was born in the Mir Ali area of the North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and was paralyzed by the poliovirus.
This is the third poliovirus case from the Mir Ali area this year, and it has been confirmed by the Pakistan National Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health (NIH).
Another child in North Waziristan has been paralyzed by wild poliovirus, according to Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel, who added, “This 13-month-old child will live with disabilities for the rest of his life because of a virus that is entirely preventable.” Pakistan has suffered a collective loss.”
The health minister stated that at the time, more than 99 percent of the world was polio-free, adding, “Our children, too, deserve a life free of this incurable disease.”
He urged parents to be aware of the threat posed by wild poliovirus to children throughout Pakistan and to have their children vaccinated as part of the ongoing nationwide campaign being carried out in all 156 districts of the country.
During the preliminary investigations, it was discovered that the child had not received any doses of oral polio vaccine.
It has also been revealed that all of the children diagnosed with wild poliovirus this year are from the North Waziristan district.
More cases are expected in the area as a result of high refusal rates and cases of finger-marking without vaccination during the campaigns.
The nationwide immunization campaign began on May 23 and will continue until May 27.
